The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in Sri LankaThe Sri Lankan ethnic conflict that has occurred largely between Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus is marked by a degree of religious tolerance that sees both communities worshiping together. This study describes one important site of such worship, the ancient Hindu temple complex of Munnesvaram. Standing adjacent to one of Sri Lanka's historical western ports, the fortunes of the Munnesvaram temples have waxed and waned through the years of turbulence, violence and social change that have been the country's lot since the advent of European colonialism in the Indian Ocean. Bastin recounts the story of these temples and analyses how the Hindu temple is reproduced as a center of worship amidst conflict and competition. |
From inside the book
Page xiii
... priests and the devotees of the dif- ferent temples at Munnesvaram. I single out R.S. Karthikeyan, the chief priest of the Munnesvaram temple, and K. Letchiraman, the chief priest of the Bhadrakali temple, for allowing me to work in ...
... priests and the devotees of the dif- ferent temples at Munnesvaram. I single out R.S. Karthikeyan, the chief priest of the Munnesvaram temple, and K. Letchiraman, the chief priest of the Bhadrakali temple, for allowing me to work in ...
Page xviii
... priest , lit. ' pole master ' kapurāla ( Sinh . ) – deity priest karakam ( Tm . ) – metal water pot Karāva ( Sinh . ) – caste traditionally associated with fishing and trading karma ( Skt . ) – the consequences of action kassippu ( Sinh ...
... priest , lit. ' pole master ' kapurāla ( Sinh . ) – deity priest karakam ( Tm . ) – metal water pot Karāva ( Sinh . ) – caste traditionally associated with fishing and trading karma ( Skt . ) – the consequences of action kassippu ( Sinh ...
Page 4
... priests establish the conditions for the trance activ- ity, but they do not expect it, nor do they really want it ... priest who normally ran a small shrine to the Sin- hala Buddhist sorcery deity Suniyam.9 He described how he used ...
... priests establish the conditions for the trance activ- ity, but they do not expect it, nor do they really want it ... priest who normally ran a small shrine to the Sin- hala Buddhist sorcery deity Suniyam.9 He described how he used ...
Page 5
... priest on the day is also Sinhala Buddhist . Finally , this practice is both led by ritual specialists ... priests . Passing over the River Dedura and continuing a few kilometres north one finds a strangely designed Saivite ...
... priest on the day is also Sinhala Buddhist . Finally , this practice is both led by ritual specialists ... priests . Passing over the River Dedura and continuing a few kilometres north one finds a strangely designed Saivite ...
Page 6
... priests who effectively own the temple . It underpins the legal status of the temple and also that of its priests , and thus has a profound bearing on what kind of temple the Munnesvaram temple has become , and with that its place in ...
... priests who effectively own the temple . It underpins the legal status of the temple and also that of its priests , and thus has a profound bearing on what kind of temple the Munnesvaram temple has become , and with that its place in ...
Contents
| 1 | |
| 15 | |
Chapter 3 Myths and Marginality | 43 |
Chapter 4 Ritual Practices and Religious Identity | 59 |
Chapter 5 The Saivite Temple as a Monumental Architecture | 89 |
Puja and Arccanai | 117 |
Chapter 7 The Presence of Sakti | 133 |
Chapter 8 Guardians Games and the Formation of Power | 145 |
Chapter 9 The World Inside Out | 163 |
Chapter 10 The Domain of Excess | 183 |
Divine Kings and Regal Gods Temples in Society and History | 195 |
References | 213 |
Index | 227 |
Other editions - View all
The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in ... Rohan Bastin No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
aesthetic Aiyanar annual festival arccanai articulation associated Astara Astara Devata bandara bathing rite becomes Bhadrakali temple Bhairavar Brahmins Buddhist revitalisation camphor caste Chapter chariot Chilaw coconut coconut game Colombo consciousness cosmic daily rites deities demonic described devotees Diseased King divine dynamic ethnic expression firewalking flag flagpole gaze goddess guardian hall ibid important inner road inner sanctum Jaffna Kali Kapferer 1997a Kataragama Kramrisch lamp linga Maradankulam Munnes Munnesvaram festival Munnesvaram priests Munnesvaram temple Murugan Navaratri Obeyesekere 1984 offerings Pattini performed Pillaiyar temple popular potency potentiality practice presence procession puja Purusa relation religious ritual sacrifice Saivism sakti sense shrine simply Sinh Sinhala Buddhist Sinhalese Siva social Somaskanda sorcery south Indian specific sponsor Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil stress Suniyam Tamil Saivite Tamil Saivite temple Taniyavala temple complex temple festivals temple priests temple’s theme trance varam Visnu worship yantra